GCU'S KIRCHNER NAMED SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

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NEW HAVEN, CT - Mallory Kirchner of Georgian Court University has been named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Softball Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, March 22. Heather Draper of Goldey-Beacom College was the pick for Pitcher of the Week, while GCU's Rachel Ruch was tabbed Rookie of the Week.

Kirchner, a senior OF from South Amboy, NJ, hit .388 for the week with seven runs scored, four runs batted in, one double, one home run and two stolen bases. She went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI and a home run against STAC in the second game of a DH. She followed by going 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI vs. Queens.

Draper, a sophomore right-hander from Bridgeville, DE, went 3-0 on the week for the Lightning with a 0.41 earned run average, 32 strikeouts and six hits allowed in 17.0 innings of work. She picked up a CACC victory over Nyack.

Ruch, a freshman 2B/DH from Edison, NJ, earned a .438 batting average for the week with seven RBI, two runs scored, two doubles and one homer. She smacked a home run against Kutztown and knocked in two runs against both Queens and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Honorable Mention

Kaitlyn McFarlane, Caldwell (Fr., RHP, Secaucus, NJ) - Went 2-1 with a save on the week with a 1.38 ERA.

Lindsay Frye, Wilmington (Sr., SS, Claymont, DE) - Hit .471 in six games with six runs scored and two RBI.

Kira Wagar, Bloomfield (Jr., UT, Rochester, NY) - Hit .389 in six games with six RBI and three stolen bases.

Katie Margiotta, Caldwell (Fr., OF, Sewell, NJ) - Hit .400 for the week with four runs, three RBI and three stolen bases.

CACC Notes

Bloomfield - Bloomfield went 4-2 this week to move to 11-4 on the season. The start is the best in Deacon history and marks the first time the program is 7 games over .500 at any point in any season. Playing in her first games of the year, senior Mallorie Mathews hit her 20th career home run against Dowling. Kira Wagar hit .368 for the week with 3 stolen bases and 4 RBI. She had a walk-off game-winning single against Philadelphia and scored the game tying run on a wild pitch against Dowling. Both came with two outs in the bottom of the 7th. Bianka Cosme hit .333 for the week. Jackie Dean went 3-1 on the week, with her only loss coming on an unearned run in a 4-hitter against Queens.

Caldwell - The Cougars opened the CACC schedule with four wins, sweeping USP on the road on Mar. 21 before taking two from Wilmington at Caldwell Field on Mar. 22. Freshman outfielder Katie Margiotta recorded five hits in the wins at USP, while junior shortstop Danielle Genovese went 5-for-8 against Wilmington. Sophomore Annie Forte drove in the game-winning run with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the eighth to win the first game against Wilmington. Caldwell hosts Goldey-Beacom and Bloomfield this week and travels to Philadelphia and non-conference opponent Dowling this weekend.

Felician - After putting together 30 hits in its first nine games, Felician stroked 21 in its sweep of Chestnut Hill on Saturday. Freshmen Johanna Gonzalez and Tiffany Deeubol each hit their first collegiate home runs over the weekend, Gonzales in Game 2 vs. CHC on Saturday and Deeubol in Game 2 at Concordia on Sunday.

Georgian Court - GCU remained at #12 in the latest NFCA poll. Sammie Jo Garafolo and Jennifer Tartaglia launched their first homers as members of the Lions in a doubleheader split with Queens College Saturday afternoon.

Holy Family - Holy Family picked up three wins in its six games this past week to get its overall record to 7-13 and 2-0 in the CACC. The Tigers split its double-header against East Stroudsburg, taking game one 5-1 and dropping game two 8-3. On Saturday, Holy Family swept Post in its CACC opener with a pair of 4-0 wins. Pitcher Jody Searfoss struck out a season-high 11 hitters in her game one win. The team finished the weekend by falling to Queens (N.Y.) by scores of 8-4 and 6-1. This past week, Searfoss was the team's leader hitter with a .476 average and five RBIs. She also won two of her three starts. Second baseman Sarah Marsteller went 9-for-21 for a .429 average in six games. Currently, she is leading the team with a 10-game hitting streak. This week, Holy Family hosts Dominican (N.Y.), Chestnut Hill and Bloomfield. The week ends with a road double-header at Molloy.

Philadelphia - The Lady Rams went 5-3 on the week as they finished up games in Clermont, Florida, before returning to face Bloomfield in CACC action.

USP - After going 3-5 in Florida, the Devils have won just one of their last 10 games since returning north. Juniors Brittany Brown (Marlton, N.J.), Mia Crotti (Jessup, Pa.) and Samantha Tu (Trevose, Pa.) moved into the top 15 on USP's all-time hit list this week; Brown is 11th with 75 career hits, Crotti is 12th with 72 and Tu is 15th with 70. Tu is now tied for seventh on USP's career doubles list with 16. Junior pitcher Rachel Morgan (Clackamas, Ore.) needs 19 strikeouts to become USP's all-time leader. Rachel currently has 238 in her 2+ seasons of play.